Encountering Equals
by QueenEralynn
Summary: Notorious female serial Killer Catherine Tanner recalls her short but enjoyable encounter with Dr. Hannibal Lecter as he flees the FBI. She cunningly bargains with Agent Jack Crawford and Dr. Frederick Chilton for information on everyone's favourite cannibal. ***No Bedelia De'Maurier***No Will***Maybe some smut***
1. Chapter 1

I sat on the cold metal chair, a little too far from the metal table I was bolted to for comfort, but there was not much I could do about it. The glass walls reflected how awful I looked after being in this hospital for only a month, but it also showed that I kept my head held high with what dignity remained. The buzzer sounded and the soundproof glass door of the privacy room swung open. An orderly escorted a tall African-American man in a suit into the room, reciting instructions on what can and cannot be handed to me.

Once the orderly had left and the door was shut he sat in the metal chair across from me, bolted to the floor like everything else. He looked me up and down and I smirked. He was trying to analyse me. "Miss Catherine Tanner. Convicted of seventeen murders in the United States and twenty-seven more in various European countries."

I sucked my teeth and crossed one leg over the other, leaning back in my chair. "A man who does his research, I'm impressed. I'll assume that you are Detective Jack Crawford of the FBI Behavioural Science Unit in Quantico. Been working for the FBI for a good 30 years. Married for over twenty years and recently widowed. It's a shame, your wife was beautiful." His eyes narrowed and my smile widened. "I can do research too."

He sighed and cleared his throat, "Let's get right to it Miss Tanner. Why did you call me here?"

I grinned, a glint in my eyes as I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table. "I have some information about someone you might be looking for." I waited for a response but none came. Instead Jack gave me a look that portrayed boredom and disappointment, but beneath that I could see I had sparked his interest. As the name left my lips I watched as his expression changed, bordering on relieved, intrigued, and enraged all at once. "Hannibal Lecter."

He folded his hands on the table and leaned in, "Tell me what you know about Dr. Lecter."

I leaned back, the chains around my wrist dragging loudly across the table, "I want a deal."

He frowned, "I don't deal with serial killers."

"Well then you can deal with knowing that Hannibal is still out there. Killing." My eyebrows raised and by the look on his face I knew I had hit a nerve.

"What do you want."

"A transfer." I looked over to the orderly staring through the glass, no doubt attempting to read our lips to relay our conversation back to Chilton. "This place...If you're not crazy going in, you will be going out. I want minimum security."

Jack's face hardened like stone. "The most I could do is max, and even then it's not a guarantee."

I shrugged and shook my head, sucking my teeth again, "Sorry Detective, no deal. Enjoy your conscience."

Jack stood, slamming his hands down on the table. "I'll have you charged with obstruction of justice!"

I shrugged again, "And? I'm in here for life regardless. Not a lot of damage you can do other than adding more time onto twenty consecutive life sentences. Now, if you're not going to deal with me I'd like it very much if you left. I'm missing lunch, rumor has it we get the less disgusting slop today, I would hate to miss it." I looked over to the orderly and motioned for him with my head. He opened the door and secured the walking cuffs to my wrists and ankles before removing the cuffs from the ring in the center of the table. As he helped me up and ushered my out the door I turned to Jack one more time. "I've got nothing but time, Mr. Crawford. If you change your mind you know where to find me. Until then remember," I grinned and spoke low, like a whisper, "He's still out there." I clicked my teeth together in a biting motion a few times before laughing and allowing the orderly to drag me out of the room. I knew I'd most likely be sedated for that, but the look on Jack's face was worth it. His eyes narrowed into slits, fists clenched at his sides so hard his knuckles went pale, jaw set tight. I thought he might lash out at me, which I would have reveled, another memory to keep me amused in my bland little cell. He watched me walk away but I could feel his heated gaze on the back of my skull until we turned the corner out of view.

He'd be back.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two weeks since Jack had spoken with me. I had spent that time reminiscing about my time with Hannibal. It had been a long time since I had seen him. I wondered what he was doing now. Where he was and who he was with. There was a pang of jealousy at the thought of him with someone else. I had no right to be possessive and yet there I was.

I took a breath and closed my eyes, remembering our first encounter.

"Jus d'orange? Eau? Champagne?" I was walking through the isle of the plane, pushing my little metal cart with drinks and little plastic cups, occasionally pouring drinks into the little cups and handing them to nervous flyers.

Suddenly I heard a voice to my left, "Champagne, s'il vous plaît." I looked to the passenger speaking and smiled. He was quite handsome, with a set square jaw and chiselled features casting sharp shadows along his face. He was sitting alone, in a grey plaid three piece suit.

I handed him a champagne flute and smile, "Voulez-vous quelques cacahuètes?"

He shook his head with a polite smile playing at his lips, "Non merci."

I nodded and gave him the bright smile I had perfected over the years as a flight attendant. "Bien sûr, profiter de votre vol monsieur."

As I began walking forward again, repeating the drink offers to other passengers I felt a hand grab my behind. "You have the nicest ass of any flight attendant I've seen." A man was sitting in the seat opposite the polite handsome man and grinning ear to ear as he gripped my behind tightly. "And I have seen many."

I clenched my jaw and glared down at the man with my eyes burning with red hot hatred. "Get your hand off my ass before you lose it."

He let go of me and rolled his eyes, "Jeez learn to take a compliment." He eyed the open bottle of champagne and motioned to it with his chin, "Can I get some champagne?"

The audacity of this man made me angry. I was about to have words with him when I was interrupted. "Champagne is for adults." The handsome man spoke with obvious disapproval and condescension, "By your behaviour you are little more than a child."

I grinned as the rude man glared at the handsome one. "Stay out of this old man." While he was distracted I walked off, continuing to serve other passengers, not looking back as he called after me.

All throughout the flight I kept an eye on the rude man. He was smartly dressed. Italian leather shoes, gold rolex watch, deep navy blue Kilton suit. He was obviously well off, whether it was because of business or, more likely, family money that he has never had to work for in his life, he was rich.

Rich.  
Rude.  
Flying alone.  
He was the best kind of mark.

Once the flight landed I waited with my luggage for the rude man to pass. I followed his cab to Hotel Majestic and then went to my own hotel, planning to return after dark.

I grinned, still sitting in my cell. An orderly had shoved a plastic tray through the food slot in my cell and was trying to speak to me.

"Dr. Chilton wants to see you after dinner. Eat fast."


	3. Chapter 3

"What did you and Jack Crawford talk about?" Dr. Chilton stood behind the third line on the floor away from the cage I sat in. His face showed boredom but I could see deep in the recesses of his eyes, or at least the one remaining, that he was distraught. His other eye was just a slightly different colour, giving away that it was covered by a contact. The left side of his face drooped even with the denture implant he wore to keep up appearances. His makeup didn't match his newly tanned face.

I ignored his question. "It's been a while, Frederick. How was your trip?" I shifted in my seat. It was cold metal like everything else, including the tall and tiny cage I was in.

"My trip was fine, thank you Miss Tanner. Now back to the matter at hand. Please do not make me ask you again." He straightened his tacky plaid suit, an awful mix of green, blue, and yellow, and leaned further on his cane.

I picked at my nails, adjusting myself in my seat, "I was in the privacy room, Dr. Chilton. I'm under no obligation to reveal our topic of conversation." I looked up to meet his eyes and reveled in how he seemed to flinch back at the sudden attention. "Although, I do have some requests that, if granted, I would be willing answer your questions."

He sucked the good side of his teeth. "I am not going to make deals with you Miss Tanner." He began to turn and walk away, leaving me with my orderly.

"Female serial killers are so rare aren't they Doctor?" I watched as he twitched to a stop and half turned back to me.

"Yes they are rare. But the media has moved on to better things than your infamous international killing streak."

I sneered, leaning in and wrapping my arms around the bars of my cage. "But there is so little research into women like me, Dr. Chilton. You could live off the profits you make from the books you could write into the research on me. You know it as well as I do. That's why you waste your time trying to fumble around in my head. I can let you in. I'll tell you everything I spoke about with Crawford, even things I haven't told him yet, provided they stay within the limits of doctor patient confidentiality. All you need to do is grant a few wishes, well within your power might I add, and I'm all yours."

As I spoke he walked towards me, still staying a 'safe' distance away. "You seem to overestimate your importance."

"You seem to overestimate your poker face. You know you're sitting on a psychiatric gold mine. Your name is ridiculed in the psychiatric community. This could be your big comeback."

"I'm not dealing with you Catherine. I'm not an idiot."

I sighed and ripped my gaze away, leaning back and picking at my nails again. "If you change your mind you know where I am."


	4. Chapter 4

***Hey guys, from now on I'll be doing the flashbacks with Hannibal in italics cuz my horizontal line breaks aren't showing up when I upload the documents. And also sorry chapters are so short I'm forcing myself to write through a block. That's all. Enjoy***

 _I could hear the rude man, whose wallet had informed me his name was James A. McGrath. It was a faint sounds coming from the washroom, barely audible in the main area of the hotel room. I could smell chlorine gas weakly through the rolled up towels I had stuffed in the cracks. No one else in the hotel will smell it though. No one will hear his muffled cries as his blood begins to boil._

 _As quickly emptied the small safe in the room with the code the man had given me, a familiar voice cause me to jump. "Bleach and ammonia, a slow and agonizing death." I turned slowly. The soft but prominent accent mixed with his low authoritative voice let me know that the man behind me was the same handsome man from the plan. He was seated on the large leather chair by the bed and flashed a crooked smile, "Bonjour."_

 _My gaze swept over him. He was in riding leather, with riding boots and gloves, which fit him very well and subtly showed the muscle underneath. "Bonjour. Why are you here?"_

 _He crossed one knee over the other and rested his hands on them. "For the same reason you are. Though it seems you beat me here. Shame."_

 _I stuffed the money from the safe into my bra and sucked my teeth. "Why would you want to kill him? He's done nothing to you."_

 _His face turned to stone for a moment, flashing a look of disgust. "He was rude. Rudeness is abhorrently ugly to me."_

 _I grinned and adjusted my breasts, backing towards the door. "Well then please excuse my rudeness but the maids will be making their rounds in four minutes. One of them is sure to notice her cart missing." I retrieved the 'Do Not Disturb' sign from a pouch taped to the back of the door. "I suppose this goes without saying, but if you continue to follow me I will kill you."_

 _As I left the room I saw the first full smile pull across his lips. "Bonne chance."_


End file.
